Jackson inbounds Avy....

[SkiEvil]

http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=5487

BREAKING NEWS: AVALANCHE UPDATE

Date: January 6, 2010

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort issued the following statement in regard to a ski patroller getting caught in an avalanche this morning:

At approximately 8:26 a.m. routine early morning avalanche hazard reduction work by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Ski Patrol triggered an avalanche of significant size down the northeast aspect of Cheyenne Bowl on the upper mountain.

This incident took place prior to the lifts being open to the public, but members of the Resort ski patrol were in the vicinity. One member of ski patrol was buried in the slide and an immediate search was conducted, the patroller dug out and transported to the Village Clinic.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort received 10 inches of snow in the previous 24 hours and over 30 inches in the previous week.

A resort press conference on the accident is scheduled for noon today. A news story will be posted after that event.

[pillowfluffer]

Anyone know the patroller caught in it?

[paleale]

No, but I hope he/she is ok!!!!

[pillowfluffer]

Ditto!!!

[rspacher]

The patroler Mark Wolling...also is known as Big Wally...been there since 1989...
positive vibes....

[land]

New statement about an hour ago:

"(Jackson Hole, Wyoming, January 6, 2010: 12.40pm MST) As stated previously at approximately 8:26am this morning routine early morning avalanche hazard reduction work by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) Ski Patrol triggered an avalanche of significant size down the northeast aspect of Cheyenne Bowl on the upper mountain.

This incident took place prior to the lifts being open to the public. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort received 10 inches of snow in the previous 24 hours and substantial amounts in the previous week.

Situation Details:

Members of JHMR Ski Patrol were conducting routine avalanche hazard reduction on the Cheyenne Bowl Route (Elevation Approx 9350’). An initial hand charge was deployed from Rendezvous Trail into Cheyenne Bowl with no result. Two patrollers ski cut the area below and deployed two more hand charges. These second charges caused the snow to fracture above where the patrolmen were located. One was able to self arrest using a tree and the other was caught in the slide. The avalanche travelled over a cliff below to the bottom of Cheyenne Bowl. Mark Wolling (Patrolman since 1989) was buried in the slide. Following a hasty search by patrollers in the vicinity, Wolling was found and uncovered from approximately 6 feet of snow in about ten minutes.

JHMR Ski Patrol conducted CPR and administered AED (Automated External Defibrillator) while readying for transport to the Teton Village Clinic. Wolling was transported to Teton Village Clinic in approximately six minutes, where further treatment was administered. At the time of transport to St Johns Medical Center, Jackson, Wolling was exhibiting vital signs.

“It has been an extremely tough morning for all our patrollers and staff. I am very grateful to everyone for their efforts. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark and his family right now.” “He is an amazing person who has been on the JHMR team since 1978, he’s definitely part of our family.” stated Jerry Blann, President, JHMR.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has established standards and protocols for minimizing the risk of avalanche that are based on the current weather and snowpack conditions. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort receives over 400 inches of snow annually and is dedicated to making the skiing and riding as safe as possible for our guests. Avalanche conditions change hour-by-hour and day-by-day. JHMR Ski Patrol continuously monitors elements of the weather and snowpack conditions 24 hours a day throughout the winter and uses this information to continually assess potential hazards.

At the time of this release Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is operating all lifts except for the Aerial Tram, Sublette and Thunder quad which will remain closed for the remainder of the day.

The next JHMR statement regarding this incident will be made at 4.00pm MST today."


Vibes to Mark, hope he makes it out ok

[DeeAre]

Gnarly.
Thoughts and prayers to family and friends.

[paleale]

Wow. Come on Big Wally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

Vibes - hope he makes it out OK.

[F.D.V.]

++++ vibes your way Mark!

[skiing-in-jackson]

Prayers and thoughts to Big Wally.

[yomingjack]

The "Hole" community is pulling for 'Big Wally". If anyone knows how to beat this kind of situation,...it's 'Big Wally'!
Sending as much good juju as I can muster.

[SkiEvil]

Patroller caught in avalanche headed for Idaho hospital

By Thomas Dewell, Cara Rank and Angus M. Thuermer Jr.
Date: January 6, 2010

The ski patroller buried in an avalanche Wednesday morning at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort was being transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, a spokeswoman for St. John’s Medical Center said just after noon on the day of the accident.

Mark “Big Wally” Wolling, 58, was caught in the slide at 8:26 a.m. as patrollers were reducing the avalanche hazard at the resort, the resort reported at a noon press conference. The slope was not open to the public.

Wolling’s fellow patroller found him by using a radio transceiver. He was buried under six feet of snow, dug out within about 10 minutes with no detectable pulse.

Rescuers transported him to the Teton Village Clinic by sled in a ride that took six minutes. After eight minutes of work there, medical personnel detected Wolling’s pulse, resort officials said. He was transferred to St. John’s Medical Center via ambulance and was prepared for the flight to Idaho Falls.

“Our prayers are with Mark and his family,” resort President Jerry Blann said at the news conference. “Our staff exhibited extreme professionalism.”

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort received 10 inches of snow in the 24 hours leading up to Wednesday morning and substantial amounts in the previous week. The Bridger-Teton National Forest Backcountry Avalanche Hazard & Weather Forecast – www.jhavalanche.org – said the avalanche hazard was high above 7,500 feet in the Teton area.

The resort offered the following account of the accident:

Members of ski patrol were conducting routine avalanche hazard reduction on the Cheyenne Bowl Route at approximately 9,350 feet. Wolling threw and exploded a hand charge from Rendezvous Trail into Cheyenne Bowl with no result.

He and his partner ski cut the area below and stopped above a cliff. Wolling threw two more hand charges. These exploded simultaneously and caused the snow to fracture above where both stood.

Wolling’s partner, whom the resort did not name, was able to grab a tree. Wolling was swept over the cliff and down the slope into the bowl.

Ski patrollers conducted cardiopulmonary resuscitation and administered an automated external defibrillator while readying for transport to the village clinic. The AED is the mechanism that did not detect a pulse and hence did not administer a shock.

The slope had not been open to the public this season. It had been visited and bombed by ski patrol earlier this winter, however.

At the time of transport to St. John’s Medical Center, Wolling was exhibiting vital signs.

St. John’s Medical Center reported at 12:35 that Wolling would be transported via fixed-wing ambulance to Idaho Falls.

Wolling has been on the patrol since 1989.

“[Wolling] is an amazing person who has been on the JHMR team since 1978, he’s definitely part of our family.” Blann said in a prepared statement.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is operating all lifts except for the Aerial Tram, Sublette and Thunder quad which will be closed for the remainder of the day.

“Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has established standards and protocols for minimizing the risk of avalanche that are based on the current weather and snowpack conditions,” the resort said in its statement. “Jackson Hole Mountain Resort receives over 400 inches of snow annually and is dedicated to making the skiing and riding as safe as possible for our guests. Avalanche conditions change hour-by-hour and day-by-day. JHMR Ski Patrol continuously monitors elements of the weather and snowpack conditions 24 hours a day throughout the winter and uses this information to continually assess potential hazards.”

The next resort statement on the incident was scheduled for 4 p.m. today.

[Meadow Skipper]

The actions of the guy's partner deserve recognition and study. Outstanding job of rescue.

[Roo]

Locating and extricating a victim solo from under 6 feet of snow in less than ten minutes is a superhuman effort.

Well done that guy/gal.

[chappyiam]

I think it is time that all JHMR Patrollers should have as part of their avalanche control equipment required to wear at minimal an Avalung, even if it is a small chance the Avalung could help one survive in a burial i believe the small cost is worth it. An ABS system would be another system that they need to have a hard look at.
Say there are 30 patrollers JHMR gets a group buy pro discount @100.00 or less per unit = 3,000.

Sounds reasonable to me, If JHMR's not willing, i bet the community could raise the money to get it done......

[SkiEvil]

Ski patroller Mark Wolling was in the area of the X when an avalanche broke around him and carried him over cliffs in Cheyenne Bowl. The crown of the avalanche can be seen surrounding Wolling’s position at the time of the slide, just below the beginning of Rendezvous Trail. Photo courtesy of Jim Springer/BRIDGER-TETON NATIONAL FOREST AVALANCHE CENTER.

[snomaster]

FYI, it's 'avalung'. they have more than 30 trollers, but I totally agree with your point. I wear one.
What is also amazing to me is skiing down from the Cheyenne flats with big wally in the sled in 6 mins. holy effing shite.

This is a huge reminder to everyone that you don't have 10 min to locate a buried victim. You have less than that to get them on the surface.

And on the avalung, you have to use it correctly. clear it and make sure it's working before you drop in. put that shit in your mouth if there's any doubt. and if you get buried you have one job with that thing: breathe easy through your mouth, not nose.

[Tye 1on]

What is also amazing to me is skiing down from the Cheyenne flats with big wally in the sled in 6 mins. holy effing shite.

may have had some internal combustion assistance, not sure...

[chappyiam]

I've been wearing one for the last four seasons, and i agree they are very hard to breathe through, you feel like your not able to get enough air. Avalung should improve the air flow with a larger or less restrictive snorkel flow tube or something. I have tested mine while i was working hard huffing and puffing and I struggled to get enough air.
One would certainly have to control their breathing and calm down to use it if carried and buried in an avalanche, but the alternative of not breathing at all is way worse. Just think of face shots that take your breathe away, and then an avalanche that could pack your nose and mouth with snow and shut down your breathing completely even before you are buried. I guess i would rather struggle breathing than not breathe at all.

[babybear]

^^^i think any air is the point. Plus the avalung will help avoid the 'ice mask' that forms over the mouth and nose. I have one too and just think that the extra measure of safety is worth it.
They also had several patrollers down there immediately helping to dig out, but I heard that it was one of the biggest holes anyone had ever had to dig in that situation.
As far as getting him down to the clinic in 6 minutes goes......when your friend and comrade's life is on the line you make sure things go smooth and fast. I'm sure someone was waiting at all the flats and traverses with a snowmobile ready to tow. You can ski pretty damn fast with the weight of a sled behind you too.
hang in there wally

[cold_smoke]

The AED is the mechanism that did not detect a pulse and hence did not administer a shock.

Is this a type-o? I thought no pulse=shock...

Any news? Hoping things turn out positively for him and therefore the JH community.

[Tye 1on]

Is this a type-o? I thought no pulse=shock...

Any news? Hoping things turn out positively for him and therefore the JH community.

Nope. No DETECTABLE rhythm means it won't let you shock, on an AUTOMATIC ext defib (AED). No so with the 12-lead or whatever they have in hospital settings, which are not automatic. That is one of the beauties of aed's in public places, you basically can't screw up.
Waiting game right now for next 12-24 hours. No news is good news. Still a good time for positive vibes his way...

[jm2e]

Is this a type-o? I thought no pulse=shock...

Any news? Hoping things turn out positively for him and therefore the JH community.

It's complicated and confounded by both the report here and what people see in Hollywood. Basically, a "flatline" like you see in the movies/TV will not benefit from shocking. In these cases CPR keeps oxygenated blood flowing to your brain while you wait for the heart to start beating again on it's own or with the help of drugs. In something like V-Fib or V-Tach where the heart is bouncing around all crazy like a spastic kid but not well enough to pump blood, the shock will hopefully act like a slap in the face to said kid and bring him back to a normal pace. Through this process, CPR is necessary to oxygenate blood and pump it around until the heart sorts it's shit out. The beauty of an AED is that it will actually tell you to continue CPR. It tells you that shit!

The patroller could have had any of a number of heart rhythms that are life threatening but not the ones that would benefit from electrical impulse. CPR and rapid transport to advanced life support were likely what saved his life.

[SkiEvil]

Family at patroller’s side
For information on Mark Wolling's condition, register at www.carepages.com

By Angus M. Thuermer Jr., Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Date: January 8, 2010

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patroller Mark “Big Wally” Wolling was still listed in critical condition Thursday afternoon in the Intensive Care Unit of the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, his father said.

Wolling was buried for 10 minutes in an avalanche Wednesday morning in the resort’s Cheyenne Bowl. He had no detectable pulse when found and freed, but patrollers rushed him to a clinic in Teton Village, where medical workers got his heart pumping, resort officials said.

“About all we can do is hope for his recovery,” Wolling’s father, Spencer, said in a telephone interview Thursday. “As far as we can tell, he’s getting excellent care.”

The ski patroller has been in a coma that doctors deepened, said Mike Fischer, one of three Jackson Hole friends who have been with him since his accident. Fischer spoke in a telephone interview.

Friends have set up a Web site through www.carepages.com/ that provides medical updates. Users must register to read the updates, and they also can post messages to Wolling and his family.

In addition to his father, Wolling was visited Thursday by his mother, Mildred, and sister, Sue.

“We saw him today and he looks good,” Spencer Wolling said.

Doctors have kept Wolling cool and sedated as part of their treatment, Fischer said. By today, they anticipate warming him up, weaning him from drugs and initiating neurological tests, he said.

An obvious worry centers on possible oxygen deprivation before Wolling’s revival, his father said. In addition to the 10-minute burial, the patroller spent six minutes in a rescue toboggan and another eight minutes in the clinic before medical workers detected a pulse, according to information resort officials provided.

“We just don’t know if the loss of oxygen impaired any of his functions,” Spencer Wolling said.

The anticipated neurological tests will not be a definitive indication of potential recovery, Fischer said doctors told him.

“They can’t just put a machine on and find out,” he said.

He said there appeared to be no significant physical trauma.

Spencer Wolling said friends and family may not get answers immediately.

“We may have to wait a few days,” he said.

Wolling was on routine avalanche hazard reduction duties Wednesday when he was caught in the slide. The mountain was not yet open to the public when the avalanche ran.

Wolling had thrown one hand charge on the slope in Cheyenne Bowl without provoking a slide. He skied on to the slope, followed by his patrol partner. He then threw two more hand charges, which fractured the slope above them.

Wolling’s partner clung to a tree. After the slide, he found Wolling in debris well down the 1,000-foot-long avalanche path using a radio transceiver. Wolling was uncovered from under about 6 feet of snow.